| Summary |
The purpose of this thesis is to investigate why Israel, Egypt, Syria, and Jordan went to war in June of 1967. The Six Day War (or June War) has greatly shaped the political geography and Arab/Israeli/Palestinian peace process in the current Middle East environment. The question of why these counties went to war with each other is an extremely complex equation. There is no one factor or decision that caused the war. Many factors surrounded the breakdown to hostilities therefore the thesis will explore many different areas and relationships. The following analysis of the Six Day War is pertinent to those interested in the Middle East for a number of reasons. The war's continuing relevancy to the current Palestinian/Arab/Israeli conflict is the strongest of these reasons. During Israel's military defeat of the combined Arab states in the six days of fighting, the Israelis expanded their borders significantly. Egypt lost the Sinai Peninsula and the Gaza Strip while Jordan lost the West Bank (including the religious sites in East Jerusalem). Israel similarly occupied the Golan Heights in Syrian territory. When the military phase of the Six Day War ended, Israeli settlers began constructing permanent settlements in the newly acquired territories. These portions of land became de facto parts of Israel. Israel returned the Sinai Peninsula to Egypt in 1982 and left Gaza to its Palestinian population in 2005. The Golan Heights and West Bank are still under the control of Israel where settlements are still expanding. The post-1967 borders and the Israeli settlements inside these borders are central to the Arab/Israeli/Palestinian peace process. The majority of current Middle East peace plans involve the return to borders before the Six Day War. Investigating what conditions caused the Six Day War and the context during the decision making processes that led to the war is an essential part of understanding the Arab/Israeli/Palestinian conflict as a whole. "Descent to War" provides an understanding of the context and conditions by dividing the outbreak of the Six Day War into three separate themes. This study also provides a review of other literature on the causes of the war from different time periods since 1967 in order to show the evolving theories on what happened and why. Chapters Two through Four are each dedicated to a specific contributing factor in the outbreak of the Six Day War. The chapters of this thesis also include smaller contributing incidents in detail and concurrently contain questions delving into the legitimacy of specific decisions by leaders from both sides. The descent to the Six Day War was an anxious and hectic time in the Middle East for both sides of the conflict. The reasons behind the war are complicated, resulting in differing views on where to place blame from a wide spectrum of literature since 1967. This investigation of the context and conditions behind the Six Day War attempts to clear the confusion and inform the reader of the facts. It is impossible to arrive at an unquestioned historical truth regarding the reasons behind the Six Day War. The following thesis merely attempts to shed as much light as possible on these reasons through the heavy analysis of primary source material and a study of the contributions of fellow historians, political scientists, journalists, and others interested in the Arab/Israeli/Palestinian conflict. |
